CAROLINE'S COOKING Six simple sauces to liven up any meal It can be easy to get into a rut of either not cooking or making the same thing over and over. But with a few simple sauces, you can liven up almost any dish with minimal effort. Here are some of my favorites from around the world, that can make the world of difference to your meal. Whether it's to stir in to pasta, noodles, have on top of grilled meat, fish or vegetables, or to go in a sandwich, For each you'll find the recipe, some suggested uses and a recipe to look for on Caroline's Cooking that uses it. Enjoy! All content copyright Caroline's Cooking / Caroline Williams 2017
Chermoula Origin: North Africa Uses: particularly good with fish, can also use over grilled meat and vegetables and use as a marinade Recipe: baked swordfish and asparagus with lentils and chermoula 1tsp cumin seeds 1-2 cloves garlic (1tbsp roughly chopped) 1/2tsp salt 1tsp paprika juice of 1/2 lemon 3tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander 3tbsp chopped parsley 3tbsp olive oil Crush the cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar then tip them to add back in later. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Put it and the salt in the mortar and crush together to a paste. Add back the cumin along with the paprika, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. Mix together and crush them with the pestle so they become well softened but still with some texture. Add the oil and stir through. While you can make this and use it immediately, it's best left to settle an hour or so before using. Will keep a few days refrigerated.
Tomatillo salsa verde Origin: Mexico Uses: great with nearly any Mexican dish, eg on top of tacos, over quesedillas, you name it. But you could use it beyond Mexican food too. Recipe: pork carnitas with tomatillo salsa verde 8oz/225g tomatillos 2 green chilis eg serano 1/2 small onion 8 sprigs of fresh cilantro/coriander (approx), main stem removed 1 clove of garlic Remove the papery casing from the tomatillos and wash off any stickiness. Place them whole along with the chilis in a pan of boiling water and simmer, uncovered, for approx 10 minutes. Drain the pan and put the tomatillos and chilis in a blender or food processor along with the roughly diced onion, cilantro and roughly chopped garlic. Blend until smooth then transfer to a dish. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for a few days until needed, as suits. You may just need to add a little water to thin it slightly before using.
Chimichurri Origin: Argentina and region Uses: particularly used with grilled meat, also good on grilled vegetables, roasted meat & veg and as a marinade Recipe: chimichurri marinated beef skewers; grilled butternut squash, zucchini and steak with chimichurri 1/2 cup parsley leaves 1/2 cup cilantro/coriander leaves 2 cloves of garlic 1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh) 1 1/2tbsp red wine vinegar 1/2tbsp lime juice a dash of salt and red pepper flakes 1/4 cup olive oil Blend everything apart from the oil in a blender/food processor until pretty finely chopped but not a paste. Alternatively, chop finely by hand. Add the oil and pulse/stir to combine. Will keep refrigerated a few days, though it may lose some of it''s brightness.
Pesto Origin: Italy Uses: a classic with pasta, also good in sandwiches, over meat or mix with a little extra oil to make a salad dressing Recipe: look for other pesto recipes plus recipes using variations eg chard pesto orzo bake Ingredients (for arugula pesto): 1oz/30g pine nuts 2 1/2oz/ 75g arugula/rocket 1 small-medium clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1oz/30g grated parmesan 1/4 cup/ 60ml extra virgin or virgin olive oil Lightly toast the pine nuts either in a dry frying pan over a medium heat or under the broiler/grill until lightly brown. Keep an eye on them as you don't want to burn them and they can go quickly. Put the arugula/rocket, garlic, parmesan and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until broken up and well mixed. Add the olive oil while the food processor is running then remove, stir and either use or transfer to a sealable container and cover with a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge until needed. Will keep a few days.
Peanut sauce Origin: Malaysia and region Uses: particularly used as a side for chicken satay skewers, also good with other grilled meat and can be used as a dressing for noodle salad (with a little extra soy and sesame oil added) Recipe: chicken satay with peanut sauce 4 1/2 tbsp peanut butter 2 tbsp water 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp tamarind concentrate 1 tsp fish sauce 1 clove of garlic, crushed Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside until ready, refrigerated if more than about 20min. Will keep a few days refrigerated.
Origin: Italy Uses: particularly good with fish, but can be used with other things like chicken, and other meats too Recipe: pan fried sea bass with salsa verde Salsa verde 1 large handful parsley 2-3 anchovy fillets 1 tsp capers 1 small clove of garlic 1 tsp dijon mustard 1 tsp lemon juice few grinds of pepper 2 tbsb olive oil Remove the parsley leaves from the stalks. Put the parsley, anchovy fillets, capers and garlic on a chopping board and chop all together so that everything is cut up finely and starts to mix. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and add the lemon juice, a few grinds of pepper and the olive oil. Mix all together and refrigerate until ready to use (will keep a few hours well, a day or two not bad but not as bright colors).